Darker Than BLACK BUTLER
by Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony
Summary: When Hei acts irrationally, enlisting the help of a certain butler-loving redhead, he ends up in 1887 in front of the Phantomhive estate. Stuck there for half a year, he begins to doubt the sanity of his deal. But why does Sebastian trust Hei so easily? AND WHAT THE F*** IS GRELL DOING HERE! Post Darker than BLACK S2 , during S1 Black Butler.
1. Prologue: That Contractor, Tricked

**Hey, people! So, here's the deal: I adopted this story from the awesome lack-4-a-better-name!**

**So this first chapter is theirs, all I did was edit grammar, spelling, and added/took away a few sentences here and there to make it head in the direction that I want. **

**CLEARING THINGS UP: (I just want to be sure you know this:)**

**CHAPTER ONE IS ADOPTED FROM lack-4-a-better-name**

**CHAPTER 2 ONWARDS IS MINE**

**We good?**

**So, please, enjoy! (lack-4-a-better-name's a/n will be ****_italic._****)**

* * *

_**Disclaimer!**_

_**I don't own anything! Only the plot of this story!**_

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Hei was running out of breath. He had been running away from a very powerful and high-stamina filled Contractor that was after him.

It's only been a month after Yin died, and the Syndicate was chasing him again.

"C'mon, BK-201! I just wanna make a deal!" The other Contractor said, laughing all the while. Hei's jaw clenched. He tried running as fast as he could, but as soon as he turned the corner, hoping to lose him, he found a dead end. He was about to use his grapple wire, when he heard a voice from behind him.

"I suggest you don't run away, and listen to me for one goddamn second." The young looking Contractor said. Hei slowly looked behind him, only to find a man with long blood red hair, extending down to his knees standing in the entrance of the ally. He wore a black vest and a white dress shirt underneath. Strange shark-like teeth protruded his gums. Red-framed glasses on an equally red neck chain, rested over his green and yellow eyes. He looked an awful lot like a girl, however, with the gloves and high-heeled ankle boots. He had an odd, vintage looking red coat which was hanging around his elbows.

He reached into his pocket and took out a small packet of what seemed to be ketchup. Ripping it open, he drank down the contents.

"That's your payment?" Hei said in a low voice. The copper headed man raised a finger, telling him to wait. Once he swallowed all of it, he dropped the packet on the ground. He stuck out his tongue, and began fanning his face frantically.

"It's TABASCO. Not Ketchup." He said, tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "I hate spicy, which is why I hate my payment…" He said continuing to fan. "Look," The Contractor started, "I don't want to kill you, but I do want to get paid." He said in all seriousness.

Hei reached into his jacket to get out his twin bladed knife. "Kill the motor, handsome. I do want to get paid, but I'm not going to kill you. Does that make more sense?" The Contractor said, making Hei stop on the handle. "Besides, my ability won't even kill you! If you listen to my deal, it will be a win-win situation." He said. Hei stayed quiet.

"Alright, you want to disappear for a while, get away from the Syndicate, and I want to get paid. So what I am offering is that I use my power to teleport you to a different time, therefore making it look like your dead, without actually being. You will be free of the Syndicate for about half a year, I get paid and when I bring you back you can surprise everyone. I will be long gone and you can do whatever you please." He offered, giving a creepy smile at the last sentence.

"Half a year… that's a good offer." Hei said. "What will happen to my star when I come back?" He asked. The Contractor laughed.

"It will most-likely magically reappear, making everyone at astronomics seem like chickens running around without heads. Something I want to see." He added.

Hei's midnight blue eyes stared at him through the mask. It was a pretty good offer, but what would happen when he comes back? The Contractor said he would long gone, but what would become of Hei?

_Even though it's completely irrational…_ Hei thought.

"Alright." Hei said. The Contractor smirked. He raised his hand, creating a black sphere that was expanding.

"I never know where these things go, but I don't think any earlier than renaissance. Don't worry, you'll be fine." He smiled, making Hei nervous. Hei nervously stepped into the black sphere, getting swallowed by the darkness.

"Say hi to my darling Sebby while you're there!" The red haired Contractor called.

Oh yes, he knew exactly where he was sending him.

…

Ciel Phantomhive was sitting at his desk as he normally would be, reading the recent news. He heard two light taps on the door, making him raise his head. The head butler of the house, Sebastian Michaelis, stepped into the room. Ciel went back to reading the paper. Sebastian wheeled over a cart of sweets to his master's side.

"This afternoon, I have prepared some English Breakfast black tea with milk and sugar, along with apple pie." Said the black-clad butler, pouring the tea ever-so skillfully into the beautifully painted Ginori tea cup. Once Sebastian handed his master's tea on the table, he began cutting a slice of the apple pie. Sebastian was interrupted, however, when he heard a loud bang. He looked outside of the window only to find that Finnian, the gardener, was knocking over trees with his ridiculous strength of his. The butler sighed, as he pushed a few loose strands of hair away from his face.

Not again… Both Sebastian and Ciel thought to themselves.

However, when Sebastian spotted something, at the edge of the lot, he put down the plate and knife that were in his hands and walked towards the window.

"How much damage was done this time?" Ciel sighed in annoyance.

"Actually, I do not believe that this is Finny's doing." Sebastian said, not taking his eyes off of the expanding black sphere at the edge of the garden. Ciel got up from his chair and joined the demon. His visible eye widened, as he saw a man with a long black trench coat, black pants, shoes and hair step out of the sphere awkwardly. Sebastian's far distanced sight was able to see the mask that was upon the man's face; completely white with black eyes and a red mouth, and a purple lightning bold running gown his right eye. The man looked around rather confused.

Where the hell did that Contractor send me? Hei thought, looking around at the garden surrounding him. Then when he saw the giant house… No, mansion, he could tell he wasn't in Japan anymore.

"Mister Sebastian!" The blond gardener shouted upon seeing the Contractor. The butler was already outside, tugging on his gloves. Finny ran towards him, panicking.

"He just appeared out of nowhere! How is that even possible?!" Finny flailed. Sebastian gave his signature smirk.

"I believe we have an uninvited guest… Please make sure master is not disturbed, and call Mey-rin." He said, his stare not wavering from the fellow black haired man. Finny nodded and sprinted inside. Hei looked over to the man who was making his way towards him. He checked his side to make sure his knives were still there, which they were. Hei's attention was brought back to the man in a tailcoat who was stalking towards him. For both men, something didn't sit well with the other.

_Is this man a Contractor…?_ Hei thought.

_He doesn't seem to be a demon… but still…_ Sebastian thought. Sebastian stopped, when he was about five meters away from the Contractor.

"Might I ask what business you have at the Phantomhive estate, sir?" Sebastian asked with much grace. Hei's eyes widened.

_English? And English accent no less… _Hei thought.

"I don't believe I do." Hei said, rather awkwardly. English wasn't a language he was particularly good at.

Phantomhive? Defiantly not Japan.

"Then I ask you to explain, how you have appeared out of thin air? That's not something any… human can do." The butler said. Hei stiffened.

"Human… yeah but I guess there are some problems with your statement." Hei said taking out his knife. The butler remained unfazed.

Then smirked.

"That is a very interesting knife, but I have no interest in fighting you." Sebastian said. He raised his hand, signaling Mey-rin to shoot.

Sebastian smiled as the bullet shot past him, in the direction of Hei. Using his natural instincts, Hei quickly turned around, letting the bullet rebound off of his coat. Hei directed his grapple hook to shoot to a pillar about twenty feet behind Sebastian. It pulled him past the shocked Sebastian.

_Did the bullet simply bounce off of him? Not even a demon like me can do that… What's going on here…?_ Sebastian thought turning around and pulling out the silverware that was tucked away in his sleeves. Hei stepped down and pulled the grappling hook away from the pillar and began running towards where he saw the bullet coming from.

Mey-rin, who was watching from the roof of the mansion, was wide eyed when he didn't fall. Did she… MISS? No, it wasn't possible! She should have hit his back, because he was somehow able to move that fast. She took her aim on the speeding man. It was almost hard to keep up with him. She fired bullets at him. This time she saw it clearly; the bullets were deflected by his coat.

Hei flung his grapple hook to one of the polls near the roof, letting it carry him up to where Mey-rin was. She jumped back as she saw the masked man fly up to where she was taking aim. He landed in front of her. Hei stared at Mey-rin coldly.

"You're a sharp shooter. I'm surprised." Hei's icy voice rang out from behind the mask. Mey-rin was shocked; his speed was up to the level of Sebastian!

"I _am_ a maid for the Phantomhive estate." Mey-rin responded with a smirk.

"How fascinating." Sebastian's voice rang out from beside both of them. Hei looked over to the black-clad man, shocked at how he didn't hear him coming up there. Mey-rin became flustered at the sight of the handsome butler. Sebastian stepped down from the ledge of the roof which he was standing on, making Hei instinctively reach for his knives. The butler chuckled at Hei's paranoia.

"All I wanted to know was your business here. I can tell you do not have good intentions." Sebastian stated while holding up four silver forks in between his fingers.

Hei threw his grapple hook, locking it onto Mey-rin's neck. The ex-assassin choked trying to rip the metal wire off of her neck. He pressed a button on his belt making the wire rewind itself, forcing Mey-rin to trip towards Hei. He coarsely grabbed Mey-rin and twisted her arm behind her.

"I can kill her faster than you can throw those… forks…" Hei still found it funny and strange that the butler's weapon of choice was silverware. Sebastian's stared at Mey-rin, who was trying her best to even breathe.

"You shall do no such thing; Mey-rin is very valuable." Sebastian said, treating Mey-rin as nothing more than an object.

_How troublesome…_ Sebastian sighed at the thought. _I have yet to prepare for dinner…_

"I am still curious though, how you were able to appear out of thin air. Then there is also the fact that the bullets did not affect you in the slightest." Hei was surprised.

_Do they not know what bulletproof material is? How far back did that damn Contractor send me?!_ Hei debated multiple ideas in his mind.

"First you answer my questions." Hei demanded, his grip on Mey-rin's shoulder tightening. Sebastian stayed silent, as if to say 'alright'.

"Where am I? What year is it?" His voice came out coldly. Sebastian's head cocked to the side slightly.

"You are currently at the Phantomhive estate, on the outskirts of London, England. The year is 1887. What an odd question to ask." Sebastian was curious now.

"TCH." Hei really got screwed over. If he wasn't half human, he would have had full rationality and seen how stupid of a deal that was.

"Now if you could be ever so kind as to unhand Mey-rin…" Sebastian said taking a few more steps closer.

"Take another step closer. I dare you." Hei hissed, making Mey-rin squeak.

"Mi-mister S-S-Sebastian…" Mey-rin was able to squeeze out of her. The round glasses fell back down onto the ridge of her nose.

"Don't worry, Mey-rin. I will help you." The butler smiled.

"Now, Mey-rin, if you could please shut your eyes for a moment." Sebastian said. Mey-rin trusted him, and obeyed.

Not a second after she shut her eyes Sebastian, using his demon powers, threw a fork in his hand at Hei. The poor Contractor didn't even get the chance to blink before the silverware crashed into his mask. It cracked the left eye of the mask, the same thing happened when he saw Amber again. He let go of Mey-rin, who still had the grapple hook on her throat, and took a few steps back.

Hei had to admit, the butler could move fast; even faster than him. His hand, naturally, swung up, trying to aid this hurt eye. His eye was fine, but it was very shocking. His hand slowly came down, letting his midnight blue eye glare at the butler's red ones. Sebastian, taking his moment of weakness, sprinted over to where Mey-rin was, ripping at her throat, just like Pluto would. With much ease, he ripped the metal wire off of her neck, making the rest of the wire snap back into Hei's belt. Mey-rin began coughing, and gasping for air. Lifting the maid, bridal style, he carried her to the small door that led to the rest of the house, and kicking up the gun so it fell on her stomach. Her face was matching her hair.

"M-mister Sebastian?!" She flailed. Sebastian put her down and opened the small door.

"Please go back inside. I will handle this gentleman." He smiled. Mey-rin was about to protest but thought against it. She nodded and walked down the stairs. Just before she was completely out of sight, she looked at the masked man again. When Hei noticed this, his hands formed into fists, in a threatening manner. She jumped slightly before completely vanishing. She couldn't help but wonder what she found so intriguing about the blue eyed mystery man.

"So what exactly are you, Mister Masked Man?" Sebastian said turning to Hei. Hei clenched his jaw.

"That's what I would like to know. No normal butler can move that quickly." He growled. Sebastian laughed.

"Well that is because I am merely one hell of a butler." Sebastian said, placing a hand across his torso.

"… 1887… so the Gates won't be in existence for another two centuries…" Hei said looking away.

"What gate do you mean?" Sebastian asked. Hei looked up at him before shooting out his spare grapple hook, catching itself around Sebastian's neck. His grip on the wire became tighter as synchrotron radiation formed around him, along with the red glow in his eyes. The electrical current caught onto Sebastian making his body have a seizure. He screamed for a few seconds longer, because Hei wanted to make sure he would die. Once he stopped, Sebastian's body fell limp on the roof. Hei retracted the wire from his neck. Hei stared at the butler's petrified face; the same expression all of his victims wore.

"You may be good, but you're still human." Hei muttered. He turned around and walked away from the body.

"Now, now… who said that I am human?"

Hei's head snapped back in the direction of the voice. He saw the butler starting to stand. For one of the only times in Hei's life, he was terrified.

"…I-impossible…" Hei's voice just barely coming out. Sebastian laughed, as his glowing red eyes settled on Hei.

"Not for a demon it's not." He smirked.

"A… demon…" Hei repeated. Sebastian nodded slightly.

"I know I should be more terrified and shocked than I am right now, but considering what I am…" Hei said taking out his knife, in defense. The demon raised a brow.

"I would like to know what you are. After all; I just told you a secret that only the young master knows of. The rest of the servants in the manor are completely and utterly oblivious." Sebastian smiled, placing his index finger on his lips. Hei was silent for a moment.

"I'm what's called a Contractor. Beings like me aren't human, and won't exist for another two centuries." Hei answered.

"How might you know that they will in fact exist in two centuries time? Unless you are from that time…" Sebastian smirked.

"I am from that time." Hei snapped back, causing the demon's red eyes widen.

"That black sphere is what brought me to this time, all thanks to another Contractor…" Hei briefly explained.

"I see… that does explain why the bullets did not harm you." Sebastian pointed to Hei's coat.

"It's made of bullet-proof material; it's not just a fashion statement." Hei said smirking, remembering the time when Mao said that to the Frenchmen on their first job together. When he met Yin.

_No. I have to forget about her. She's dead._ Hei thought, the memory of the girl he loved stinging his heart.

"I find it fascinating, that you were able to generate such a powerful source of electricity. Is that one of the perks of being a Contractor?" Sebastian asked cutely.

"Being a Contractor is not a good thing." Hei barked. "Contractors are cold blooded killers who have inhuman powers and have to pay a certain price for using their ability. It's different for every person; I knew a Contractor that could materialize a sniper rifle from the necklace pendant she wore… The payment one has to pay can be as simple as reading a book, or as terrible as drinking blood of children." Hei said enraged.

"How very fascinating." The butler smirked.

"I bet my master would love to hear about this as well though, therefore, if you would be ever so kind as to follow me." The butler said turning his back to Hei as he walked to the small door. Hei didn't move. Noticing this, Sebastian stopped and pivoted to him.

"Don't worry; I will not attempt to kill you as long as you do not attempt to kill me. And a suggestion, you might want to take off that mask. My master will not warm up to you if you act so suspiciously." He smirked. Hei hesitated but followed the man. As he walked down the stairs behind him, he slid off the Black Reaper mask.

…

"You're from the future?! That's ridiculous!" Ciel shouted at his butler, who was standing next to said mentioned future man. Hei didn't expect the 'master' of this butler to be a twelve year old boy.

_If he is the head of this house that means that his parents must have died… how alike we are_. Hei thought.

Hei had already explained what he was, where he was from, and when he was from.

The blue hair boy snapped his attention back to the Black Reaper.

"What is your name?" Ciel demanded.

"… Which name do you want? My real name or my alias?" Hei asked. He was known far too many names; BK-201, Li Shengshun, The Black Reaper, Hei…

"Of course I want your real name." Ciel said shifting in his leather seat. He crossed his legs, drumming his fingers impatiently.

"It's Hei." He told him. Ciel nodded.

"I am the Earl Ciel Phantomhive. This is Sebastian Michaelis, he is my butler." Ciel said.

"… A butler, huh? That's not what he told me." Hei smirked. Ciel stiffened.

"You said in your time, there are no demons… then what happened?" Ciel cleared his throat.

"How am I supposed to know? No one even understands why Contractors or Dolls exist in the first place." Hei said scratching the back of his head. Ciel took a sip of his tea.

"What exactly are these Dolls?" Sebastian asked.

"Dolls are emotionless mediums that looked exactly like normal humans, with the one exception that they have no expression or free will. Dolls are slowly evolving, starting to think for themselves, some might even show some expression, but it's very rare. Dolls can have different mediums through which they can send their observer spirits and must be in contact with this medium while observing. For example, something like… water" Hei cringed slightly as he remembered Yin. "… or glass." He hastily added. "Observer spirits can only be seen by other dolls or Contractors, but not by humans."

"How interesting… doesn't the description of Dolls Hei gave us sound very much like a certain Chinese assassin, always following around a certain Chinese drug dealer?" Sebastian suggested to Ciel, reminding him of Ran-Mao.

Hei remained silent.

"You said you will be staying here for half a year, then that Contractor will come back and take you to your own time, correct?" Ciel asked, placing his tea cup down.

"Most likely I'm going to be forgotten about, and am going to be stuck in this time forever…" Hei huffed. There was an awkward silence after that, but was broken as Sebastian spoke.

"Then tell me, Hei. Would you like to stay here, at the estate, working as a servant?" Ciel and Hei's eyes widened.

"It's always good to have an extra pair of hands around the manor, not to mention his fighting skills are rival to mine… though he is a Contractor." Sebastian chuckled on the last line. Sebastian looked at Hei again.

"That reminds me, since you are a Contractor, you have to make a sort of payment. Might I know what yours is? Just so I can ge-"

"I don't have a payment." Hei interrupted. Ciel and Sebastian exchanged glances.

"The reason being, I never actually transformed into a Contractor. I am technically half human, half Contractor. It's a rather long story, so I'd rather not get into it." Hei said, suppressing the memory of Bai.

"Alright, I suppose that makes things slightly easier." Ciel commented, completely ignoring the slightly grieved face of Hei. Hei stared at the butler, who was smiling. Hei was still annoyed that he didn't die from his ability.

"Sorry, but exactly what position would I be taking on if accepting this job?" Hei asked Sebastian. He was already experienced in waiting tables, and cooking was a natural thing to him.

"Who do you think needs the most assistance? Out of Bard, Finny and Mey-rin." Ciel asked his butler. The butler brought one of his arms across his torso, letting the other one rest on it; placing his hand on his chin. He thought for a few moments. It was a hard question; they were all in need of assistance, but who needed someone as skilled as Hei the most. It might be dangerous to put him alongside Mey-rin, especially after he attacked her. Finny seemed to be the most manageable out of all of them, surprisingly enough. That left Bard… a chef who thinks art is explosion.

"Are you any good at cooking, Hei?" Sebastian asked.

"Well, I suppose I am. Everyone says my cooking is good. And then criticizes me for how much I'm eating." Hei laughed. After he made a deal with Suou to stop drinking, he went back to eating twice his weight daily.

"I would very much like to see your cooking skills." Sebastian said, walking over to Hei. Leaning towards him, he whispered.

"Just make sure you don't get killed. Our current chef, Bard, likes to deal with explosives." Hei blinked.

"Please tell me your jok-"

_BOOM!_

The floor shook from the explosion.

"I wish I was…" Sebastian sighed, scratching his chin. Ciel sighed with irritation.

"Please show Hei to the kitchen so he can start working… and get him some new clothes as well. If he did in fact attack Mey-rin, it wouldn't be a good idea to let him work in those clothes." Ciel said waving off his butler.

"Yes, my Lord." Sebastian bowed. The demon gestured Hei to follow him as he walked over to the door. Hei nodded to Ciel, stood up and followed. Once they were out of the door, Sebastian could smell the smoke coming from the kitchen.

"Oh my… I believe he used dynamite… again…" Sebastian said, irritated. The two walked down to the servants chambers, where Hei's new room would be. They stood in front of a pine door.

"This is where you can change, Hei." Sebastian opened the door, so that the Contractor could look inside.

It was a plain room, about twelve feet by eleven feet big. There was a single mattress bed in the corner and a small wooden wardrobe. There was a single window at the foot of the bed. When Hei looked back at Sebastian, he saw upon his gloved hands a chef's uniform, identical to Bard's.

"Thank you, Sebastian." Hei smiled his Li Shengshun smile. He quickly changed into the uniform, rolling up the sleeves, much like Bard. He still had his black pants and shoes underneath his chef uniform, though. He kept on his tight sleeveless shirt as well, concealing one of his twin-bladed knives in the side sheaths, letting his paranoid, Syndicate side show through. Hei reluctantly folded up his bulletproof coat and tucked it, his splintered mask, his piano-wire belt, and the remainder of his knives away on the bed.

"If you will be ever so kind as to follow me to the kitchen." Sebastian said, shutting the room's door. After a few more minutes of walking through the maze that was mansion, they arrived at the room where smoke was still running out of.

Hei had a slight anxiety moment.

"Are you sure he is alright?" Hei asked the butler.

"Besides ruining the kitchen, he is just fine." Sebastian said flatly. He walked towards the door.

"Bard?" He called.

There were multiple coughs before there was an answer.

"H-hi Sebastian…" The blond chef said slightly scared for the punishment to come.

"THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME I'VE TOLD YOU NOT TO USE DYNAMITE IN THE KITCHEN!" Sebastian exploded on the charred chef.

"Sorry! I know I should take it slowly! It just doesn't get in my head…" Bard said taking out a pack of cigarettes.

"So whaddaya need?" The blond asked, lighting a match with his hair.

"I want to introduce you to Hei." Sebastian said, stepping to the side, only to reveal Hei, who was looking around the ruined kitchen. Realizing attention was on him, he snapped up his kind, happy-go-lucky Li Shengshun attitude, smiling and thinking of how strange it was how even when he wasn't wearing BK-201's mask, he was usually under the mask of Li.

"Who is he?" Bard asked, eyeing the foreign man.

"He is going to start working as your assistant from today onwards. He will also be here to make sure you don't use explosives anymore." Sebastian smiled. The chef's eyes widened.

"WHAT?! But cooking is ART and art is EXPLOSION!" Bard cried. Sebastian glared at him, making him shut his mouth.

"Please take good care of him, he's new to the country, but his English is fluent." Sebastian said, giving the Contractor a slight nudge. Bard nodded in agreement, and then gave a big smile.

"Welcome to the Phantomhive estate, Hei." He said almost laughing. Then Bard realized something important; a trait that all of the servants must have.

"Hey, Sebastian…? Can Hei, uh, you know…" he said, making it seem like he was holding an imaginary gun, firing it.

"Oh he doesn't specialize in guns…" Sebastian snickered. Bard raised a brow.

"He is specializes in hand to hand combat. He can defiantly help out." Sebastian smiled. This time, Hei raised a brow. Why would something like this be important?

…

About an hour later, Bard had shown Hei where all of the cooking utensils, plates and silverware that Bard stated disappear then reappears at the most random of times. Hei made the connection that Sebastian kept taking the silverware to use as his weapons. Sebastian wasn't joking when he said the servants were oblivious to him being a demon. Hei was thinking of how he could prevent the blond from blowing up the kitchen every time he wanted to cook.

_I might have to give him cooking lessons… well first let's see what he knows how to do… _Hei thought, planning ahead.

From behind him, he heard the clicking of two pairs of shoes. He heard a feminine sigh.

"Today was rather exhausting, yes it was!" The red headed maid huffed out as she walked into the kitchen.

"Yeah, Pluto kept running around the garden today and then there was that man in black who appeared out of nowhere…" the super strong gardener huffed out as well.

"I wonder what happened to him." Finny said taking his gloves off. Mey-rin smiled.

"Most likely Mister Sebastian finished him off, yes he did!" She called happily. The two servants laughed.

Finny suddenly caught a glance at the black haired stranger who was staring at the two.

"Who's this?" Finny asked, innocently pointing at Hei.

"This is my new assistant, his name's Hei." Bard smiled, ruffling Hei's raven hair. Hei laughed, and then bowed.

"It's nice to finally meet you two, Bard has told me about you." Hei stood back up and smiled at the two younger servants, making both of them flush.

"He certainly is good looking!" Finny chirped merrily, making Hei flush ever so slightly.

"No, I'm pretty average." Hei laughed. Mey-rin stayed quiet all the while. She stared at him through her glasses.

_Those eyes… they seem so familiar…_ The maid thought to herself.

"You're Mey-rin, right?" Hei asked dumbly. The maid snapped out of her thoughts and nodded happily.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Hei!" He said sticking her hand out. Hei smiled, taking it.

"Which means your Finnian, right?" Hei smiled at the small blonde.

"Just call me Finny!" the boy laughed.

"Sebastian said he could cook, I'd like to see that." Bard said, slinging his arm over Hei's shoulder, making him jump slightly.

"I'll cook when it's time to eat, deal?" Hei said. He looked over to Mey-rin.

_I feel bad for hurting her now… the wire left marks on her throat too…_ Hei thought, letting his expression slip.

Bard blinked twice when he noticed something out of place.

"Oi, Mey-rin?" He asked, making the maid took at him.

"What happened to your throat?" He asked, noticing the marks right above her dresses collar.

"Oh… that?" Mey-rin said, placing a small hand onto the chaffed area of her throat.

"Well, you see… Mister Sebastian sort of-"

"WHAT?!" Bard yelled.

"That damn butler did that to you?!" Mey-rin's eyes widened at her mistake.

"N-no Bard! Mister Sebastian would never-!"

"I can't believe he hurt you! I'm gonna go over there and give him a piece of my damn mind!" Bard growled as he walked to the exit of the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves.

"Wait! Bard! Mister Sebastian wasn't responsible for this!" She said, chasing after the raging chef. She quickly caught up to him, grabbing his arm. The angered chef looked down at her small frame.

"It wasn't Mister Sebastian that hurt me… it was that man in the garden… the one with black hair and midnight blue eyes." Bard's eyes opened at her words. He gently took her arms off of him and walked back into the kitchen where Hei and Finny were just about to run out of the door, to follow them. Bard looked directly at the Contractor who was slightly confused.

"Midnight blue… eyes?" Bard asked, in shock. Mey-rin followed Bard's line of sight, only to come into eye contact with Hei. Hei averted his eyes away, to ashamed to look at her.

"I'm sorry, Mey-rin…" Hei bowed apologetically. The three servants looked at him in shock.

"Well now that this secret is out of the way, might I tell them the rest of the story?"

Everyone looked to the entrance of the kitchen where the ever famous black-clad butler was standing, smiling.

"Mister Sebastian!" The three original servants jumped. Hei stared at the demon.

"Sure, but I doubt they'll believe you." Hei said straightening himself out. The servants were surprised at his sudden change of character.

Sebastian explained everything Hei told him, right down to the letter. Hei even gave a demonstration of his abilities. All the while, Mey-rin had a poker face on, simply staring at the future man. Once he was finished the three looked back at the Contractor.

"So there are people in the future that can be as strong as me?" Finny said hopefully. Hei nodded, slightly confused at his happiness.

"So you will defiantly be helpful when it comes to fighting off unwanted people!" Bard laughed, slapping the back of the Contractor.

"I think…" Mey-rin finally said, getting everyone's attention. "I think that you trust him too easily…" She said quietly. After a few more moments of silence, she spoke again. "I'm not going to forgive you Hei…" She said looking up at him. she laughed.

"At least not until these blasted marks goes away! Then we'll be fine, yes we will!" She cheered. Mey-rin was still a bit shocked from the development, that Hei was her attacker; but she couldn't help but smile when she looked at him. They were so similar it was scary. Both are assassins that don't like to kill, but do it anyway; both have super natural aspects about them; and most of all, both had a funny side and a serious side that worked perfectly for the other. Mey-rin would let it slip with time, but only because of their connection.

…But there was something else…

Something that Mey-rin was drawn to…

But what was it?

* * *

_**HOLY SHIT IM DONE! This is the first time I've ever done a black butler fanfic and it was really hard! I think that getting Mey-rin, Sebastian and Hei's personality was really hard. So Imo sorry if they are OOC I'm trying my best! *determined pose* I know this story has potential, and I want to stick with it!**_

_**You see those blue words down there? You should totally click them!**_

_**There is cake to be rewarded for those who review!**_

* * *

**Check back soon! Chapter two and following is by Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony!**


	2. That Contractor, Hired

**Sorry that it's shorter than the last one, but now we are getting to my writing style, and I write shorter chapters, but that way, I can update more often!**

**Oh, and I apologize in advance for any typos; I typed the whole thing with a sprained wrist, and my horrible brace gets in the way.**

* * *

"So you just add this... And chop that..."

"Yeah..."

"And then you heat it with-"

"DYNAMITE?!"

"NO!" Hei roared. This was the fifth time they'd tried this dish, and every time before Bard had managed to sneak in some sort of weapon or bomb. Hei would be damned if he let it happen a fifth.

Meyrin and Finni, who were still in the kitchen, were getting quite a kick out of Hei's obvious impatience. He was trying to teach the pyromaniac chef how to cook, but it wasn't going so well, and to make matters worse, Hei just let his Li Shengshun façade slip. "Never mind. Let's just use the stove, and we'll boil this." Hei smiled, allowing the blonde chef to relax.

"So, you really don't need a flamethrower to make beef stew?" Bard inquired.

"Nope." Hei replied, laughing. "I have never, ever even heard of someone using a flamethrower to cook stew, or any food at all, for that matter."

"Oh." Bard deflated momentarily. "So that means I'm the first!"

_And hopefully the last._ Hei thought. "Yep."

The two worked quietly preparing the rest of the meal. Bard seemed to be fine at cutting, preparing, and putting together dishes, but it was the cooking part that Hei thought went wrong. The blasted pyromaniac could not keep his paws off the explosives!

"So, what did Sebastian mean when he said you could do hand to hand combat?" Bard asked after the last bowl of soup was brought to the dining room.  
"That?" Hei asked. "Well, it's exactly as it sounds."

"So you're a ninja?" Bard asked, eyes wide a saucers. Hei screamed on the inside, because that was possibly the thousandth time he'd been called that. But his Li Shengshun mask, instead of showing exasperation, showed a sheepish smile, and scratched the back of his head.

"No, not exactly..."

"Well, what _can_ you do?"

"I can fight, obviously."

"Like a ninja?"

_This conversation is going in circles..._ "Fine. Like a ninja."

"Really!?" Bard cheered. "You'll have to show us!"

"Yeah, we'll have a competition!" Finni jumped up. "We can see if I got any stronger, or you got any more accurate, Meyrin!"

"That sounds like a great idea, yes it does!" Meyrin said. Hei thought it was amazing that she could go from such a cold, accurate killer to this... Bumbling fangirl. Hei laughed a little at the thought. Look at us... We both wear an invisible mask... I've got Li, and she's got her false stupidity.

"What's so funny?" Bard inquired.

"Nothing." Hei replied. "A competition sounds like a great idea. When will we do it?"

"How about right after lunch!" Finni asked excitedly. "The young master is finishing now, so we could have the competition in the garden for his entertainment!"  
"Hoh hoh hoh..." Hei was startled by a laugh, that came from a small man, seated on a blanket across the room. He was sipping tea and chuckling contentedly.

"Who's that?"

"Oh, thats mister Tanaka!" Bard responded with a grin.

"Okay..." Hei said, uncomfortable with the cheery silence. He guessed he wasn't going to get much more information on the small old man.

"Lets go ask the mast-" Meyrin was walking out of the room, but stopped when she ran right into the black butler. "Oh, sorry Sebastian!" Her face became nearly the color of her hair.

"Quite all right, Meyrin." Sebastian smiled, a fake one, one that let Hei see the predatory smirk hidden beneath. Hei knew that Sebastian though that he was better than anyone, that humans were mere insects to him. Hei wanted to take him down a notch.

"Sebastian." Hei said, an idea forming. "The servants want a demonstration of my ability... What better way than a rematch?"

"I'll ask the master." Sebastian let the predators grin slide onto his lips like a second skin. The pupils set into rusty red irises turned into slits set into sparkling pink. Hei blinked, and it was gone. "I'm sure he would love it. I'll set to the preparations now while you all eat and clean the kitchen."

"Good." Hei replied, letting his own Li Shengshun mask slide down as ice-cold resolution slipped into his midnight blue eyes. He turned back to the servants with his practiced, happy-go-lucky smile. "So, who's hungry; I'll cook."

"Whatever you were cooking in here smells great!" Finni looked around for the source of the thick stew smell. "Can you make more?"

"Sure we can!" Bard grinned and lit his cigarette. "Let the master work his magic!"

"I don't think that is the best idea..." Hei held up his hands. "Why don't you prep and I'll cook."

"Fine." Bard deflated slightly. "Oi, Meyrin, are you fine with soup?"

"Oh, yes," Meyrin was distracted from her encounter with the butler she crushed after. "Soup is fine..." The maid swayed slightly in her seat, staring off int space.

"Alright." Hei eyed her warily. He leaned to Bard. "Is she always...?"

"Yeah," Bard whispered back. "She does this around Sebastian. Got a mighty crush on him, she does."

"Okay." Hei replied.

"Can I help?" Finni asked, staring at the pot. Bard was waving his arms in the universal 'abort mission' sign, but Hei paid no heed.

"Sure, Finni. Let's see... You could tenderize the beef before I put it in. It's always good when the meat is soft... And you could slice potatoes, as well."

"Thanks Hei!" Finni eagerly set to work.

"No problem." Hei smiled. "So, Meyrin, do you want to help?"

"Oh, no, no, I'm much too clumsy!" Meyrin waved her arms.

"I'm sure you could at least stir the ingredients, right?"

"Well..."

"I bet you can." Taunted Hei. Meyrin sighed in defeat.

"I'll try..."

"Good!" Hei tossed a patented Li Shengshun grin over his shoulder. Meyrin, Finni, and Bard grinned back.

Xxxx

"Young lord," Sebastian bowed slightly as he approached the back of his masters chair. Ciel put his teacup down and met his butlers gaze tiredly.

"What is it _this_ time?"

"Oh, it's not _those_ servants," Sebastian smirked when the young boys gaze peaked with interest. "It's more of a matter of a certain Contractor wanting a rematch."

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "That would hardly be fair…_ For him_."

"Then don't order me to win," Sebastian smirked evilly. "See what a demon can do on their own, and asses the ability of the household's newest member."

The young lord evaluated the statement. "There would have to be rules put in place."

"Of course."

"You are not allowed to kill or maim… Hei. You, as well, must consider defeat when you are put in a position that would kill a human."

"I shall inform the cook." Sebastian bowed and left, an evil, excited aura enveloping him. He could hardly imagine a future with so many men as powerful as Hei. It could be, though, that the Contractor was merely in peak human condition, and was trained as a fighter. Sebastian knew, and regretted to admit, that he had met someone who might just be his match.

Xxx

"That's his thirteenth bowl, yes it is!" Meyrin yelled over the cheering of the two men as Hei quietly ate his thirteenth bowl of soup. The staff was amazed at the Contractors appetite, and had started an eating contest until Tanaka, Meyrin, Finni and Bard lost at half, two, four, and five bowls, respectively.

"Please," Hei put down his bowl. "Stop making a game of my lunch."

"Oh, sorry," Meyrin responded. "It's just- Where do you put it all?!"

"Well, I just have a big appetite…" Hei finished the bowl and was reaching for his fourteenth when Sebastian came into the scene, a look of surprise.

"I see you've eaten." The butler finally stated. "The young master agrees to the match."

"Oooh! This is gonna be so COOL!" Finni cheered. Sebastian sent him a sharp look.

"Alright." Hei got up. "Let me get my coat."

"So we are using weapons?"

"Well, I'm sure you have at least a full set of silverware somewhere in your clothes, so I think that I'll get the rest of my knives and wire." Hei replied tartly.

"Why, what do you mean? In my clothes?" Sebastian faked surprise, slipping the edge of a silver butter knife from his sleeve, showing only Hei. "I'll show you back to the room, then."

The walk to the room was very short; the kitchen, laundry, and servants quarters were all in the servant section of the manor, and Finni's gardening tools were kept just outside.

"Thank you." Hei replied, slipping into the room. Sebastian stood at the door.

"This is my room, by the way, so don't come back here." Sebastian stated, to Hei's surprise.

"Then where do I sleep?"

"I'll have another bed moved into Finni, Bard, and Tanaka's room. Four is quite a crowd, but for obvious reasons, I can't have any of you share the other servant room with Meyrin."

"Okay." Hei pulled on his coat over his tight sleeveless shirt, which had the sheaths, crammed full of knives, strapped on. He wore his same black pants, held up by his belt equipped to hold the piano wire. He wrapped more of the wire inside the sleeves of his coat, and into his black gloves, as well. Lastly, he softly picked up his splintered mask, and tucked it next to his heart. Sebastian raised an eyebrow at that.

"A mask? You hardly need one, seeing as how we all know who you are."

"It's not just a mask." Hei met the rusty, blood-red stare with his midnight blue eyes. "These have saved me more times than I can count, even when I was fighting someone who knew me." Hei thought back to his first showdown with Wei Zhijun, and how dripping his own blood on his mask ultimately saved his life.

"I see. Then, follow me, and I will lead you to the courtyard."

Hei silently fell into step behind the tall butler. Hallways and doors drifted by, and Hei, his paranoia showing, memorized the parts of the manor he so far knew, formulating a general floor plan, escape routes, and thinking of what the rest of the manor and the grounds held.

They appeared in a large, sunny courtyard that had a small table set up, the young, blue eyed master sitting at it and slipping the remainder of his stew.

"Hei." Ciel stated, emotionless. "Good job on the stew. I see putting you as a chef turned out to be a wise decision."

"Yes, thank you." Hei bowed.

"So, shall we begin?" Asked Sebastian, eyes flashing to pinkish, glowing slits.

"Yes." Ceil replied. "Take your stance."

Hei pulled a knife silently from its sheath, readying it in one hand as he slipped on his splintered mask. Sebastian smirked and stood straight.

"Before the servants come, Sebastian, I order you to act like a human, and anything that put either of you in a position where you could be killed, the other wins."

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian put a hand over his heart.

_Do demons even have hearts?_ Hei thought, and nodded.

"Then, begin!"

Xxx

Hei silently waited for Sebastian to make the first move. The butler, though, seemed to have the same strategy, and was forcing Hei to either attack or just remain where he was. Hei threw out his arm, flicking a wire to wrap around a tree branch, and pulled himself up into the leaves. Sebastian grinned and stood below the tree.

"Hiding, are we?"

_So the butler likes word play, eh?_ Hei did not reply. He was busy analyzing the butlers fighting style from their last encounter. He seemed to defend, then attack, turning the would be attacker's proximity against themselves. Therefore, if he were a human, Hei would have jumped around until he was not seen, and thrown a knife, killing the butler from long distance. But with this demonic butler, the Contractor knew that plan would not work. His only plan would be to create a type of web, ensnaring Sebastian until he touched a wire, which Hei would pump enough electricity through to hopefully stun or momentarily paralyze the butler.

Hei swung across the court, stretching a thin, nearly invisible wire across. A fork, spoon, and two knives buried themselves in the tree, centimeters from Hei's mask.

"Are we fighting or hiding?"

Hei swung again, setting up another wire. Wire after wire after wire, all under the guise of dodging attacks.

Finally, with a labyrinth of piano cord surrounding the pair in a razor, deadly sharp spiderweb, Hei's black shoes met the ground with a thump.

"I see what you've set up." Sebastian remarked. "You've done well; I cannot escape this. But in your haste to ensnare me, you've caught yourself in the trap, as well."

Hei dove in with his knife, aiming for the butler's throat. It was, quite predictably, blocked by a set of silver cutlery. Reaching again with his other hand, Hei grabbed the butlers face, sending a deadly amount of electricity through it.

Sebastian collapsed momentarily, but reached up to throw a spoon at Hei's mask, completely shattering it. Hei, stunned by the shock and impact, took a step back, allowing Sebastian to regain his footing.

"Clever, very clever." Sebastian rubbed his head. "Your electricity has given me quite a headache, though.

_It was enough to kill an elephant! Just how powerful is this man? _Hei ducked as a fork sailed above his head.

Throwing away caution, Hei charged and tackled Sebastian to the ground, holding a hand to the butlers face, ready to electrocute. As if it weren't enough, Hei pulled out another knife, and held it above, electricity teasing between the dual blades.

"I win."

Sebastian's eyes reverted to their rust red color. "Indeed. If you would let me off the ground?"

"Yes." Hei put the knife away, stood up, and offered a hand to the butler, but stepped back when the man popped up, and dusted off his rumpled black tailcoat.

Hei surveyed the scene. Ciel, still seated at his table, was shocked out of his mind by his butlers defeat. Next time, he would have to order Sebastian to win.

Similar expressions were decoration three of the four servants faces, Tanaka being the only exception.

Hei braced himself for the flood of questions that were sure to come.

"Go back to the kitchen, and I'll tell you everything there."

The servants dumbly complied. As Hei walked past Sebastian and Ciel, he said:

"Contractors are murderers, liars, traitors. We kill shamelessly and without hesitation. We have no emotions holding us back from logic, reason, and probability.

And we don't enter fights that we can't win."


	3. That Contractor, Explaining

**Okeydoke, here's chapter 3. I think Hei is talking a lot, but he needs to explain what happened to him.**

* * *

"Pity I had to hold back so much." Sebastian remarked as her brought the masters evening tea.

"Still stuck on that?" Ciel picked up the teacup and sipped it, hiding the smirk that decorated his lips.

Sebastian didn't reply. Instead, he stoked the fire in Ciel's room, and began to prepare him for bed. "I simply do not like holding back."

Ciel chuckled and rolled onto his bed. "Fine, you shall have a rematch. This time, I will order you to win."

"Very well, my lord." A predatory grin crossed Sebastian's face, which was quickly erased with a bow.

* * *

The staff, still awestruck, were assembled at the worn and scarred wood table. Meyrin traced the scars on the table as Finni tapped his feet, and Bard took an especially long drag of his cigarette. Tanaka, as always, sat quietly on his pillow, sipping his seemingly endless supply of tea.

Hei stood across the table, rubbing his temple. His eyes, instead of being clumsy, naive, and happy, were ice cold, gradient midnight blue. All traces of Li Shengshun were gone, taken over by a Contractor's sense of rationality.

"I will tell you this once." Hei finally said, startling with his low, gravelly voice and dark, businesslike manner. "And I do not care if you believe me."

The staff was quiet, awaiting the story.

"First, I should tell you how I got here. But in order to do that, I'll need to tell you what happens in the future, first." Hei sighed inwardly at the memories of Amber that surfaced whenever he thought of the future, or trying to change his fate. He, often, wondered why everyone he had gotten close to, everyone who knew him beyond Li Shengshun, or BK-201, had died, left him.

"In the future, the twenty-first century, a horrible disaster happened- or, shall I say, will occur. This disaster caused the appearance of two Gates, one in South America, and one in Japan. These Gates defied all laws of science and chemistry, and it was rumored they held gateways to other worlds, hence the name. And with the appearance of these gates, the moon and stars disappeared, leaving behind a false set of stars.

Also, humans with amazing powers began to appear. They were called Contractors, because they made a contract with a false star. These Contractors had no emotions, no morales, no dreams. All that mattered to them was their survival and rationality. They were, most often, used as killing machines because of their powers. For the powers that the Contractors gained, they had to pay an arcane obeisance; it could be as easy as humming a song, or as costly as drinking the blood of children. Each star was linked to a Contractor's life, and when a Contractor used their power, the star would glow, a strategy a human police organization, Astronomics, used to their advantage in pinpointing Contractors."

Hei went on, explaining, as best he could, Contractors and the police force… Even the gist of Heaven's War. Then, he knew, he had to move on to a much more painful subject.

"There was another… Dolls. They were people that couldn't think, talk, move, even move their own arm off, let's say, a burning fire, without command. They sent out specters to see the world around them, through a certain medium like glass, water… Electricity. Only Contractors and other Dolls could see these specters, so it made ideal spyware for the humans. But there was one Doll…" Hei's voice broke.

"What happened?" Inquired Finni.

"Yin, she felt emotions… Controlled herself, did things on her own" Hei smiled, slightly. "Even made friends… She loved me... And I loved her back."

"Well, that sound rightly amazing, yes it does!" Meyrin cheered, but stopped at Hei's remorse expression.

"She's dead. I killed her."

All stopped.

"She was chosen to become a goddess, a harbinger of apocalypse. She became a deity known as Izunami, and if she were to meet with Izunagi, the world would end, and all Contractors would be wiped out." Hei swallowed. "All except for me."

"I am not a Contractor, in fact, I am anything but. For a long time, my emotions ruled me, and I became a drunk after Yin, the Doll, was taken. I was able to feel these things because of my sister, who was the original BK-201. She and I fought in Heaven's war, and back then, being only a human, I still had earned the revered title of Black Reaper. I killed to show that I was on her side, even though I was a human and she was Contractor…

But then, at the peak of Heaven's War, she used her power to destroy the Gate, converting it to another existence, and fusing herself into me, granting me power without a price.

So I killed. I worked for the Syndicate, looking in vain for five years. It was then, when Hell's Gate was to be used for the annihilation of all Contractors, that I discovered she had always been with me. And then, I changed the Gate, so that they couldn't do anything. Then, after that was when Yin became Izunami."

Hei shook his head. "That was very dark. I prefer to keep it to myself."

"Alright, how did you get here?" Bard crossed his arms and leaned back.

"A Contractor, one with the power to send people through time, made me a deal. I would go back in time for half a year, the Syndicate would think I was dead, and he would get paid. Perfect, right?" Hei sat down. "I don't think he's coming back for me."

"Was what you were doing in the fight your ability?" Finni asked.

"My ability from my sister was molecular manipulation. I most often use it in the form of electricity. The blue you saw around me, and the red in my eyes, that was Synchrotron Radiation, a byproduct of using our powers."

"It seems like everyone you love is gone… I feel so horrible for you, yes." Meyrin mused. Hei clamped his jaw shut. His tough attitude returned.

"I'm fine."

The room was quiet, but for the occasional chuckle of Tanaka. Hei noted that the sun was close to setting. He wondered if the staff should be getting the meal and dishes ready.

"What a touching story." Sebastian smirked as he appeared in the doorway, tugging on a new pair of pristine white gloves. "There's no need to set the table; it is just the master dining tonight, and I have prepared his meal."

"Oi-" Bard was cut off with a sharp look from the demon butler. "Yeah, okay."

"See to it that Hei has somewhere to sleep. Finni, Bard, Tanaka, he'll be in your room."

"Oh, this'll be fun!" Finni smiled. "I can carry the mattress!"

"Are you sure…?" Hei asked. "I could always help."

"No, don't worry!" Finni smiled. "I'm too strong for my own good. That's why I was hired."

"Yes, they were all hired because of special circumstance." Sebastian shook his head daintily. "I would have, of course, never hired them had it been under more… Normal terms."

"Hm." Hei eyed the butler. He was obviously back to his cocky self, and Hei guessed that it was because he was to have a rematch of some kind. Hei, of course, wouldn't participate, if it was as sure a result as Sebastian thought it was.

A small bell, located among many others on the wall of the kitchen and every staff room, rang. Under it was the label, 'Office.'

"Duty calls." Sebastian left, taking with him the cold, formal aura that had descended on the room at his entry.

* * *

The room Hei was to stay in with the other male servants was quite homely. The green painted wood panel walls met at waist level with a dingy bluish plaster wall, and above it another green boar forming a shelf and hanger. The two lone windows were quite dirty. They seemed to look out at ground level, indicating that the room was, like the kitchen and laundry, mostly underground. Three beds were pushed up against the wall, one a little bit nicer, with a better headboard, than the other two. Its tan blankets were neatly arranged, in comparison to the other two beds. The one in the middle had its blue blankest tossed into a ball, and the bed to the right had its pink blankets thrown on haphazardly.

"The pink bed is mine!" Finni took a flying leap on the the not very masculine bed._ But hey, _Thought Hei,_ That's what a guy who wears pink hair clips every day gets._

"Yeah and the blue one is mine." Bard scratched his head. "Tanaka has the big bed."

Hei blinked. Tanaka, the shortest, smallest worker who seemed to do absolutely nothing, had the big, nice bed?

"Yeah, he used to be the house steward. And he's really tall when he turns into Real Tanaka."

"Real Tanaka?"

"There's no real way to explain it, no." Meyrin commented as she hauled in a worn green quilt. It was slightly faded, and had feathers falling from a small hole. "Oh, this is for you, Hei." Meyrin handed the blanket to Hei, who gratefully accepted.

"Thank you."

"Finni, go get the spare mattress." Bard ordered. "Then Hei and I will cook dinner!"

"How about Hei cooks and you-" Meyrin ran up to Bard.

"Oi, am I that bad?" Sighed Bard.

"No." Hei tried to remedy the situation. "How about we arrange something like you being the butcher, and preparing the food, and I'll just cook it."

"Fine." The blonde grumbled.

* * *

Dinner had gone well after Bard stopped sulking, and Hei was satisfied with the pleased comments from Finni and Meyrin. The sun was down, and everyone else had gone to bed after Hei said he could do the dishes himself. As he finished scrubbing the last pot, he glanced out the window over the washtub to see many familiar stars missing. He jumped, and wondered why, before remembering that he was back in time, before the Gates.

Quietly, he slunk by the doors to Sebastian, Meyrin, and Finni Bard and Tanaka's rooms, before reaching the door to the front yard of the mansion. Fingers still on the doorknob, he stared in utter shock and reverie at the full, silvery moon.

Head still pointed to the heavens, Hei stumbled to the lawn before falling to his back and basking in the cool light.

"_Hei." _Hei's head snapped around at the sound of Yin's voice.

"Yin!" A specter, shaped like a human, was dancing across the lawn. Hei couldn't believe it.

_"Hei."_

"Yin!" Hei ran, sprinting as fast as he could, the moon forgotten to the oh so familiar specter. Reaching it, he wrapped his arms around Yin's frail shoulders, holding her and crying freely, fat tears running like beads of wax down his face and into the Dolls hair as she turned back to the Yin he knew, the one in the gothic purple dress, with silvery hair tied up on top of her head.

Yin pushed Hei away. He stumbled back like he'd been shot when he saw her face. It was the most pained, grief-stricken expression Hei had ever seen, and he knew in an instant that he would kill anyone and everyone who did this to her, caused her violet eyes to look so broken.

"Who did this!"

_"You did."_ Yin said.

Hei gasped. "No. No!"

_"Yes."_

"How… How! Yin, Yin, please!"

"_You killed me," _Yin howled in pain, chasing after Hei. "_Hei! Why did you kill me, Hei! You said that you would never hurt me!"_

She pulled him down, down. The next words hurt Hei more than anything. Bai, Amber, Havoc, Suou, April, everyone he had killed or seen die appeared in front of his eyes. Amber's marmalade eyes reflected the same agony of Yin's as she, Bai, and Suou closed in, screaming and crying.

_"You killed us all, Hei! How could you kill us!"_

"No!" A guttural, primitive part of Hei roared. "I didn't kill you!"

A familiar mask materialized in his hands, along with a twin bladed knife.

"I DIDN'T KILL YOU!" The Black Reaper lashed out with his blade, imbedding it in Bai's stomach. Too late, her realized what he'd done.

"No! I- I didn't mean it!" Hei held Bai as she fell. "Bai! BAI!"

_"Why did you kill Bai!"_ Suou screamed, her final words as she was torn away from Hei, dematerializing into space.

_Amber's _voice was no more than a whisper. The time traveler began to age as she spoke, shrinking in size and years, before, finally, with a last cry, the cry of an infant, Amber disappeared to nothing._ "You killed Bai, Hei. Why would you kill your sister?"_

Havoc contorted in torment as icicles reappeared in her abdomen, bright red blood blossoming. _"You killed her!" _

Hei realized that their deaths were replaying in front of him... Suou disappearing to a different world, Amber aging backwards until she was nonexistent, Havoc, slain by November 11. Hei couldn't bear what he knew would happen next.

_"You…" _Yin's eyes closed. A black, gloved hand enveloped her thin, porcelain neck. The hand glowed blue, and Yin spasmed in electric shock. "_You killed us all…"_

_"Brother…"_ Bai whispered.

_"I hate you."_

* * *

_"I DIDN'T MEAN TO! BAI! I DIDN'T KILL YOU!"_

Hei thrashed under his blanket.

"Mr. Hei! Wake up! Hei!" An unfamiliar, high-pitched voice screamed.

"Dammit, wake UP!" Two sets of arms pinned Hei down. His midnight-blue eyes snapped open, and he found the targets. Two blonde haired men.

Hei roared and threw Bard across the room, grabbing Finni by the neck and preparing to electrocute him. Finni, with brute force, hit Hei upside the head, throwing the Black Reaper to the floor.

"I'm… I'm sorry." Hei regained himself. "I had a dream."

"That must've been some hell of a dream." Bard scoffed, rubbing the large bump on his head.

"Who's Bai?" Finni asked.

Hei froze. "My sister."

Finni reached out, as if to comfort Hei, who met the arm with a cold, distant glare. Finni's extended arm dropped after a moment of the stony silence.

"Listen, Hei-"

"I'm fine." Hei replied, same as he did in the kitchen to Meyrin when she tried to comfort him. "I need a minute."

Hei got up, pulled on his black trench coat, and left, slamming the door behind him and exiting through the back of the kitchen. His breath came out in puffs of steam, illuminated by the moon on the cold late autumn night.

Hei didn't know why he had dreamed, or why the dream had been so disturbing. The last dream he could remember having was the one when he and Yin were posing as newlyweds on the way to China.

Yin. How could something as trivial as the Doll being on his team change his life so much? Hei was sure he could have carried out the mission to kill Izunami if he hadn't known Yin.

How could he even say that!

Yin was more than a Doll, more than a sister that was trying to fill a Bai-shaped void. She was the voice of reason. The steady, knowing mother.

The love. The care.

And Hei resented everything that he'd ever done to harm her, to make her sad, to neglect her. He hated that he let them take her at EPR. He hated that he was about to kill her instead of Shichi, that nihilistic bastard. He hated it all.

"Hei?" A The voice of a familiar, ditzy maid drifted across the lawn. Meyrin bumbled over to Hei, going on about how Bard and Finni had woken her up, and were searching the manor, and-

Hei pulled off her glasses, exposing her cold, cat like eyes. She shot him a questioning look.

"Masks shouldn't be worn so late at night; look at me, _my_ face is clean."

"Tch." Meyrin debated, and sat next to Hei, seeing as how horribly sad he looked through the thin mask of indifference he wore. She sighed and tilted her face to the glowing full moon.

"This is the first time I've seen the moon since I was a child." Hei stated after a while, breaking the heavy silence.

Meyrin didn't respond; she didn't know how.

"I thought, for a time, that if the moon and the stars came back, that everything would be okay, that Bai and I could go home to China, and live happily ever after…" Hei looked away.

"I'll bet the moon seems like a miracle, now."

"No." Meyrin was surprised at Hei's answer.

"What?"

"The moon. It's not a blessing. It's a curse that stole my sister away when it disappeared. It took my sister along with the real stars. I don't want to look at it. I don't want to see the stars that gave way to the horrible plague of Contractors."

"But the stars at home, are they different?"

"I don't see any worthwhile stars there, not anymore. Amber, Bai, Suou… Their stars are all gone."

"Then they're-?"

"Yes. They all died." Hei plowed on.

"I'm so sorry."

"You shouldn't be."

"Why?" Meyrin questioned. "I pity you so much for the hellish things you went through; why can't I feel bad and want to help you?"

Hei did not meet her eyes, instead, stared, unwavering into the forest lining the property as he spoke. "I, on my own, am responsible for the falling of seventy-three stars, and the death of three hundred and twenty-two people. I don't know how many are dead from the bombs, the traps, and the collateral damage that followed in my wake. And the worst thing: I don't care anymore. I'm a bloody Contractor."

"You may have killed that many," Meyrin said quietly. "and you say you don't care. But if you didn't care, if these deaths didn't affect you, then how come you know exactly the number who've died?"

It was Hei's turn to be silent. Meyrin sighed again at his self pity.

"Well, if you really are a heartless Contractor," She got up and brushed off her dress, picked up her glasses. "Then you shouldn't pity yourself so much."

The maid left, and the chef stayed on the lawn, thinking about what had been said.

_She's right, you know_. Hei imagined Mao would say. He even thought the sentence in Mao's low voice, something so very unfitting of a cat's body, much less a squirrel's.

_I really am half human, half Contractor… I have half emotions, half rationality. I only have half a heart, too._

* * *

**So the plot moves forward. I still don't know if I'm going to make this long or short, but I'll see how it plays out.**


End file.
